The Divine Chocolatier. Even the gods love Grá.

The Divine Chocolatier.

Even the gods love Grá.

Mickael Viljanen

When I first heard of the Beyond the Menu Chocolate box by Grá Chocolates, I immediately thought that each chef would make his or her own but that’s not the way it transpired in Episode 4 of the show. Here we heard co-conspirators Mark Moriarty and chocolatier Gráinne Mullins chat about the project. 

The chocolates weren’t going to be based on the each chef’s signature dish as been initially proposed. Grainne suggested: .”.on their personalities, who they are!”. Mark agreed: “Each chef in a bite”.

Intriguing I thought and, as it turned out, absolutely exquisite.

There were the early hints from the two. 

Jess: New Zealand, bright, Irish grown kiwis.

Mike: Horseradish…would that work?.. let’s try it!

Ahmet: Colour - he gave me a Turkish delight recipe..gold.

Ian: ..loves a pint..salted stout said Mark.

Mike: Chaos on the outside…pine honey..Finland to Ireland.

Gráinne herself: “…bright… gooseberry and elderflower…I’ve got gooseberry in the garden.”

All decided, just like that!

Okay. Now to turn these bare bones into something memorable. With that kind of task ahead, you couldn’t have a better pilot than Galway’s Gráinne. Back in 2020, the newly crowned Young Chef of the Year was looking forward to a great time in the kitchen. Then Covid happened. Gráinne had to pivot quickly. Into making chocolates at home. But not to worry, that chef training wasn’t going to be wasted.

Dede

“Chocolate”, she says “is all about precisions.... temperatures, colours, flavours.” And she was also determined to give the customer: ”a seamless experience from opening the box to enjoying the chocolates.” And she succeeded brilliantly, her technical know-how and the colourful appeal combined deliciously with real originality. And while this Beyond the Menu box may no longer be available, she has got many other selections for you, ideally as a Christmas gift for someone you love (including yourself!) Check here. 

Mike Tweedy

They’ve been described as “Luxurious and Decadent” but I prefer “Fresh and Tasty”. Some chocolates are overwhelmingly dark and rich, dominating the palate a bit like the traditional big bold Australian Cabernet Sauvignon. Grá chocolates are, for me, to continue the analogy, more like a superb Burgundy or a Beaujolais Morgan, such is the precision and balance, the beautiful lightness, in each engaging mouthful.

Ian Doyle

And each, at least those in my box, is multi-faceted. Bite into Gráinne’s own as a great opener, that compelling mix of Gooseberry Jam, Elderflower Ganache and White Chocolate, a superb example of what is to come in the box.

Baltimore chef Ahmet Dede wakes up the palate with a magnificent melange of Rose Turkish delight and Pistachio Praline, as if a misty spray strayed over the local pier wall to say good morning. Wake up guys. There’s a great day ahead! Have another one.

Gráinne

And from the Sea Road in Galway, the Jess Murphy chocolate is made with Kiwi Jelly, Pavlova and White chocolate. Like the others, it is love at first bite, and all of us glad that the Kiwi chef landed in the West Coast. Crafting these classy chocolates is about the story as much as it is about the food, about Ireland today.

And of course the pint features. The Ian Doyle is made with Salted Dungarvan Stout Caramel (Cliff House, where Ian operates, supports the local brewers), Dulse Seaweed and Dark Chocolate. Dark and totally handsome!

Chocolat, Choculorum. Chocolate forever 
(You won't get full marks for that translation!) Pic by Grá

Mike Tweedie, well known for his surprisingly delightful food combinations at Adare Manor, finds himself represented by Horseradish ganache, Granny Smith Apple and white chocolate. Another smooth chocolate with the humble apple shining through.

"Flavours from the forests of Finland" feature in the Mickael Viljanen gem, a blend of Juniper Ganache and Pine Honey Vinegar. And indeed you could well imagine yourself enjoying one of these flavour-packed mouthfuls at the edge of trees as the short day ends and the long night begins. 

Thanks to Grá, you don't have to travel to enjoy these gorgeous creations. By the way, each one of the six is a delight and I would not leave any behind me in the box. We did a little poll to see which was the favourite. It came down to three - Gráinne, Dede, and Mickael - with Dede getting the nod.

Tweedie

The line-up:

Mickael Viljanen (Chapter One);

Jess Murphy (Kai);

Ian Doyle (The House Restaurant at the Cliff House);

Mike Tweedie (The Oak Room at Adare Manor);

Ahmet Dede (Dede);

Gráinne (Grá Chocolates).

I ordered the box (€40.00, with a contribution to Simon included)  in the middle of the year, with delivery set to coincide with Gráinne’s appearance on the TV programme with presenter Mark. Of course it would also coincide with a minor surgery and I was forced to wait a big longer to start sampling. Well worth the wait!

Two of the rising stars in the culinary world conferred at CIT

Two of the rising stars in the culinary world conferred at CIT

Ciarán McGregor and Danau Berhane
at the CIT Conferring Ceremony

 

At the final day of the 2019 Conferrings at Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) two of the rising stars in the culinary world received Higher Certificates in Arts in Culinary Studies, Ciaran McGregor from Midleton and Danay Berhane from Cork City. Both work in restaurants who have recently been recipients of Michelin Stars, Ciaran in Bastion in Kinsale and Danay, in Adare Manor in Co. Limerick.

Ciaran holds the position of Chef de Partie in Bastion and says “he hopes to have a long and successful career and continuously strive for excellence to make a positive impact.”  Danay Berhane is demi chef de partie in Adare Manor and says that it is important to keep evolving and he looks forward to being challenged at the highest level in his work throughout his career.

The 2019 Conferrings concluded with the conferring of degrees in the Department of Biological Sciences which are jointly awarded by CIT and UCC.

Taste of the Week. At Lunch in Adare Manor

Taste of the Week. 
Starter in Adare Manor

Sometimes, at a meal, you stop talking and take extra notice of what you are eating. Such an occasion came up at a recent wine tasting lunch in the Adare Manor Hotel. We were on the starter: Smoked Irish Salmon with Mango Salsa, Crab, herb and citrus creme fraiche. 

Think I may well have had this combination before but the plate in Adare was quite a treat, a superb mix of flavours and textures, even colours. Taste of the Week, without a doubt. If you want to enjoy, you’d better hurry! Extensive refurbishment is planned for the leading five star hotel from early next year and it will be closed for up to 18 months.

Craggy Range 2013. “The Vintage of a Generation”

Craggy Range 2013

“The Vintage of a Generation”

Craggy Range

New Zealand winemakers are calling 2013 the Vintage of a Generation and there was much evidence in support at the Craggy Range tasting in Adare Manor Hotel last week. Right across the range and not just with the outstanding wines from the Prestige Collection.

Okay, so this is a New Zealand winemaker and, yes, they have a Sauvignon blanc. It comes from the Te Muna vineyard in Martinborough. We started with this 2013 edition. Hannah Gordon, the company’s UK/Europe Business Manager, was our guide in Adare and she said it was not your typical NZ Sauvignon blanc: “It is slightly more classical, more elegant. It has had five months in oak, also some lees contact, so it has a nice richness, the acidity is calmed down. A great food wine, very versatile.”

The 2013 Chardonnay came from Kidnappers Vineyard in Hawkes Bay, the “warmest area in NZ but with a cooling sea breeze”. This too has had oak (nine months) but the influence is not overly much. There is a great concentration, an almost creamy feel and a long finish. Hannah said it is a great food wine, a Burgundy style. “The idea is to reflect the place and the name comes from the time when Captain Cook’s servants were kidnapped here.”

So now we were getting the picture, the “other side of the New Zealand story, learning from the Old World without copying”. And that was further underlined as the tasting progressed.

Back now to Te Muna Road which has a climate like Burgundy and is “the birthplace of quality Pinot Noir in New Zealand.” This 2012 Pinot Noir has “vibrant fruits..verging on creamy..a bit of classic earthiness to it, like the Old World”.

And then a step up again, this time to the 2013 Aroha, again a Pinot Noir from Te Muna Road but part of the Prestige Collection, a wine that could last 10 to 15 years. Hannah pointed to the dense fruit flavours. The texture and finish are all top class. Grapes from the two best blocks (16 & 19) were used for this gem. Aroha means love in the Maori language.

Sophia

In 1876 the floods in New Zealand’s region of Hawke's Bay turned some rivers into land. You may read about it here.  

Gimblett Gravels was one such place and is “the most famous single vineyard on New Zealand”.  And from these gravels comes a surprising wine. “It was the biggest surprise for us,” said Hannah as she introduced us to two Syrah. And another surprise, the most awarded wine in New Zealand is not a Sauvignon blanc but Le Sol, one of this pair of Syrah.

The 2011 Syrah is excellent, medium bodied with fruit and spice and a long finish. But that 2013 Le Sol (French for soil) is simply amazing. No wonder Decanter named it as the best Syrah in the new world.

“Syrah is the new story of New Zealand,” said Hannah. “This is our highlight wine, fresh, fruity (with great density of aroma), acidity, fine tannins, and very accessible even at this young age. This could age for 15-20 years.”

We would finish with a couple of Bordeaux blends, one of which, Sophia, “put us on the world wine map”. First up was the 2011 Te Kahu from the Gimblett Gravels and the name means Morning Mist. Fruit for sure but this is more elegant than fruit driven, with a persistent finish. The blend is 70% Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and a very little Petit Verdot.

The 2013 Sophia, with 62% Merlot, brought us even more convincing evidence of the excellence of that year with “its spiced fruit character. It is fresh, acidic, with a fine tannin structure dominant but not too heavy, a beautiful wine”.

Jancis Robinson loves this one, even if not its “heavy” bottle: “Really well accomplished. Long and neat. Really lovely wine that lasted well in an opened bottle - a good sign”.

Lunch at Adare. Smoked Irish Salmon with Mango Salsa, Crab, herb & citrus creme fraiche
and Roast rump of Irish lamb, kohlrabi, crispy sweetbreads, butterbean puree.

Sophia, from the old Greek Sophia, means wisdom. We could all love (philo) this and become instant philosophers!

The love continued through the excellent lunch in the amazing Oak Room where we got a chance to sample some of the wines again and where we were introduced to Sophia 2004. Those that doubted, if there were any, joined the confirmed philosophers. Great wines in a lovely venue with excellent company - hard to beat on a Wednesday afternoon!

• There is much more information on the wines (distributed here in Ireland by Tindal Wines) on the Craggy Range website. It is one of the very best wine websites that I've come across.
• If you’d like to visit and stay at Adare Manor, you’d better hurry! Extensive refurbishment is planned for the leading five star hotel from early next year and it will be closed for up to 18 months.
• Well done to Hannah and to Peter McCabe of Tindal’s for their input last week and to Anthony Tindal himself who left us in no doubt that he was a confirmed philosopher! Brian Lawlor, Food & Beverage Manager at Adare Manor, was on hand to make sure everything, including lunch, went well. It did!

  
  

  Just in from Ballymaloe's Colm McCann:
  

  
  

  Upcoming wine events at Ballymaloe 

  
  

  Bank Holiday Monday 26^th October 2015, 8.00pm

  Wine dinner with John Wilson wine writer, The Irish Times

  In Ballymaloe House €85 including dinner and wines

  John Wilson, one of Ireland’s top wine writers, will present, over dinner, a tasting of a selection of his favourite wines from the new edition of his book ‘Wilson on Wine 2016’

  
  

  
  

  Thursday 12^th November, 7.30pm

  
  

  A Unique and Fascinating Comparative Wine Tasting with Maximilian J. Riedel

  of Riedel Wine Glass

  In the Grainstore at Ballymaloe

  Tickets for the Riedel event are priced at €65 for individual tickets or €55 each for bookings of 2 or more. Each ticket includes €97.50 worth of Riedel VERITAS glass which each ticket holder can take home in a portable gift box

  
  

  Special rates also available for accommodation

  
  

  Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry, Co. Cork

  Tel: 021 4652531 

  www.ballymaloe.ie

  colm@ballymaloe.ie